EDITORIAL: Why We Hired One of America’s Most Respected Pollsters

For about ten years, Rhode Island voters have been without reliable, independent polling. Since Darrell West left Brown University, there have been few public polls and those published have almost exclusively been conducted by Fleming and Associates — a firm who has been paid nearly $200,000 by Democratic legislative leaders.

As a result, GoLocal sought out and signed John Della Volpe and his firm SocialSphere to provide ongoing polling. He is the Harvard Kennedy School’s Director of Polling at the Institute of Politics.

Della Volpe and his firm have conducted research for the U.S. Marines, the Boston Globe, Politico, Adidas, and ESPN and hundreds of others. He has done extensive political polling in Rhode Island over the years. And, he is a regular of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”

The partnership between GoLocal and Della Volpe will give voters the opportunity to get qualitative analysis by a highly respective - and unbiased - researcher.

Why it Matters

In the past, one of RI's local TV stations, WPRI-12, has repeatedly utilized Fleming for polling and presented him as an independent pollster.

When GoLocal first reported on this conflict issue in 2013, the Dean of the University of California, Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism raised concerns.

"The principle at stake is that the person as a pollster goes before the public representing as a neutral party presenting information without bias or political alignments,” said Edward Wasserman, Dean of the University of California, Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. "If the pollster is aligned with a particular party or organization, that’s misleading and it’s deceptive. There is an issue of transparency, an assumption of neutrality.”

Now, the owners of the PawSox, who are asking Rhode Islanders to assume the moral obligation of tens of millions of dollars of bonds, are hyping a Fleming poll.

Polling by Della Volpe’s SocialSphere shows that 67 percent of Rhode Islanders would reject assuming $81 million in bonds to fund a new PawSox stadium. It should be noted that RI General Treasurer Seth Magaziner, who supports the new stadium, say the proponents are underestimating the actual cost of the project — by millions.

GoLocal appreciates the support of Rhode Islanders over the past seven years to grow to be a news organization that has the resources to invest in an important component of the community dialogue — independent and high-quality public polling. Rhode Islanders deserve it.

Recently, a proposal has been made to permit the issuance of $81 million in bonds by the State to build a new stadium for the Pawtucket Red Sox. If there was an election today on this issue, would you vote to approve or reject issuing $81 million in financing supported moral obligation bonds to build the stadium?

The next question is about the total income of YOUR HOUSEHOLD for the PAST 12 MONTHS. Please include your income PLUS the income of all members living in your household (including cohabiting partners and armed forces members living at home).